Hearing assistance devices such as hearing aids are electronic instruments that compensate for hearing losses by amplifying sound. The electronic components of a hearing assistance device typically include a microphone for receiving ambient sound, an amplifier for amplifying the microphone signal in a manner that depends upon the frequency and amplitude of the microphone signal, a speaker for converting the amplified microphone signal to sound for the wearer, and a battery for powering the components.
Hearing assistance devices may also incorporate audio source components besides a microphone. For example, in addition to a microphone, a hearing assistance device could include a telecoil, a wireless receiver, a direct audio input interface, and/or one more additional microphones. The manner in which the hearing assistance device processes and mixes signals from multiple audio source components is a primary concern of the present disclosure.